REUTERS

U.N. watchdog welcomes US-India nuclear deal

03/03/2006

Simon Denyer and Tabassum Zakaria

NEW DELHI - The U.N. nuclear watchdog welcomed a landmark civil nuclear deal between India and the United States on Thursday, saying it would end New Delhi's nuclear isolation and spur global non-proliferation efforts.

Under the deal, agreed as U.S. President George W. Bush visited New Delhi, Washington has offered India nuclear fuel and technology provided it separates its civil and military nuclear facilities and places the former under international inspections.

Some U.S. lawmakers and nuclear experts have criticised the pact, saying it weakens international safeguards, especially the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which India has refused to sign calling it discriminatory.

But the support of Mohammed ElBaradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Authority, gives the deal an important seal of approval. ElBaradei said the deal would help satisfy India's growing energy needs.

"It would also bring India closer as an important partner in the non-proliferation regime," he said in a statement.

"It would be a milestone, timely for ongoing efforts to consolidate the non-proliferation regime, combat nuclear terrorism and strengthen nuclear safety."

The deal still needs to be approved by the U.S. Congress, where it is sure to come under close scrutiny. Tom Lantos, the ranking Democrat on the House International Relations Committee, gave it a cautious welcome.

"A reliable and dependable strategic partnership is in the interest of both our great countries, and this agreement could herald an even closer relationship between the United States and India," he said in a statement emailed to Reuters.

"Given the unprecedented nature of this agreement, the Congress will have to carefully examine the details of the separation plan to assure ourselves and our international partners that this agreement will indeed support our shared political and security objectives."

China was less positive, urging India to sign the NPT and also dismantle its nuclear weapons.

"UNIQUE TO INDIA"

In New Delhi, the U.S. official who negotiated the pact said it was "unique" to India and would not be repeated with other countries such as neighbor and rival Pakistan.

"What distinguishes India is that India has protected its nuclear technology over the 30 years of the Indian nuclear programme -- India has not proliferated. Unlike North Korea which has been a major proliferator," Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns told reporters.

"India has brought itself into conformance with all the international guidelines pertaining to nuclear technology, unlike Iran for instance which has been a great violator of those international programmes," he said.

Burns said Russia and European allies had already indicated that they would support the deal, which will be worth billions of dollars to U.S. firms that provide nuclear technology to India.

"So we do expect broad scale international support," he said.

The United States has agreed to allow Western firms to invest in India's nuclear technology, which will require a change in U.S. law.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was to start making phone calls to lawmakers later on Thursday, Burns said.

"We have always seen this deal to be a unique deal for India alone," Burns said.

"We certainly would never consider entertaining this with a country that had proliferated, for instance North Korea, or a country that had lied to the IAEA -- Iran."

The United States has explained to Pakistan that a similar agreement would not be made with Islamabad, Burns said.

Pakistan has had "proliferation problems of a quite serious nature over the last several years that would make this kind of deal impossible, and we've been very up front and direct with the Pakistanis in saying that," he said.

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